61 Day Spring Clean Stash Down

I shared last week that all of my book samples are complete and I'm ready for some selfish knitting before committing to my next design project. My Blue Sand Cardigan is coming along nicely (after a 30 row set back because...reading skillz, y'all) and now I'm energized to work away at some of my massive stash.

Alright, well, not as massive as some that I've heard about. We were considering moving to a different part of the metroplex (<-- real word, no lie) a few weeks ago, but we've since put a pin in that idea for the moment, and I was purging like a boss to get ready for an impending move. As the "knower-of-the-location-of-all-the-stuff" for our household, the sheer number of items we own gets to be pretty...overwhelming.

I've read Marie Kondo's book The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up, and feel that she makes a lot of good points. Reading that book almost makes me think we could get rid of 97% of what we own and build ourselves a little tiny house on a beautiful piece of property in Colorado and be as happy as a family of clams. (If you watch the Tiny House documentary on Netflix, you'll want to do it too...promise ;) But...I also know that idea is not entirely practical. It's just something I fantasize about when I'm putting the same toy away for the 10th time that day...but I digress...

The Challenge

I would really love to make an effort to work through some of my stash this spring, and I'd like to invite you knitters, crocheters, sewists and crafters of all varieties to join me! I'm going to outline a few steps to help us get into the right mindset, and then if you like the idea too, you can choose to participate as much or as little as you'd like! Leave comments here on my blog, head on over to the 61 Day Spring Clean Stash Down Challenge thread in my Rav group (if you're on Rav), and use #61dayspringcleanstashdown on IG to share your goals and progress! Read on if you want to join me in taming your crafty stash this Spring!

Step 1: Quantify!

Time to own up to it...how much stash do you have?

I have 4 large tubs, 1 antique dresser and 1 large basket FULL of yarn. Yarn for samples, yarn for designing, yarn for myself, yarn that I don't know what I want to do with but love, yarn that I don't love anymore... It's a lot of yarn. I made a commitment at the beginning of the year to be on a Yarn Diet (ha!) which has gone... not that great. First I needed some additional yarn for book samples, then I needed to buy some for giveaway prizes, then Knit Picks made their Hawthorne Speckle Dye part of their regular line, then Lauren Slagle of LoloDidIt was an evil temptress and enchanted me into buying two fingering weight skeins in Zombies! and Once Upon A Time... I love yarn! What can I say!?!

Step 2: Plan!

Set some goals--make a list! Match your stash up with the perfect pattern and make a plan to get it done!

In the 61 days the Challenge is running, March 1-April 30, I am going to resolve to knit through Kirsten Kapur's entire Shawl Book One. It's 10 patterns worth of gorgeous shawl-y goodness and I love every.one.of.them. How often does that happen? I also have LOTS of fingering weight yarn that I adore, but that would be less than ideal to design with (discontinued, ooak colorway, hard to obtain, single skein, etc).

In the Stash Down Planning Thread I'll share my yarn choice pairings with each pattern, if you're interested in seeing what my plan is. I'd love it if you'd join me in committing to working through some of your stash too! You definitely don't have to commit to 10 projects! Whatever you're comfortable with is great! We'll all encourage each other on the journey and have some fun along the way! No need to have it all decided at the beginning, if you're more of the fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants type of crafter!

Step 3: Start on March 1!

Won't it be fun to get started all together? And to see how much can be accomplished in 61 days when we put our minds and our needles (hooks/sewing machines/etc) to it? I'm thinking I may be able to get a jump on some Christmas knitting while thinning out the stash--how great is that?

Step 4: Share Your Victories!

Share your FOs in the Stash Down FO thread on Ravelry and use the hashtag #61dayspringcleanstashdown to show off all of your hard work!
Are you excited yet!?

I am! I hope you'll consider joining me in this little endeavor to get a handle on our stashes!

Hi and welcome to A Lovely Homemade Life! I'm Jennie--a stay at home mom to two beautiful kiddos, Luca and Isla, and wife to Michael. Sometimes our life feels sort of crazy, but it's always crafty! Follow along for all sorts of posts about our crafting adventures!